Page 12 of Score on You

“Sure, sure. I’ll kick rocks soon. First you gotta tell me when your neighbor is arriving.”

“Tomorrow.” And the wait tests every fiber of my restraint. I’m about ready to crawl from my skin as the hours tick down.

“Did you hire professionals or are you handling the heavy lifting yourself?”

“No to both.” My jaw clenches at the reminder.

In return, Drake’s mouth hangs slack. “You’re not helping her?”

“Harper shut me down when I offered. She told me that Callie is particular about her space and who she allows inside of it.”

Which is something I would’ve preferred to hear straight from the source, but she hasn’t revealed those details yet. Not that I can blame the feisty blonde for protecting her friend. My natural instincts where Callie are concerned are territorial. Possessive at best. And we still haven’t talked.

His eyes bulge. “Those two are gonna pack, move, and haul everything on their own?”

“It’s not my preference, trust me.” But I can only push so hard before I meet resistance. “Her studio is small. There shouldn’t be too much stuff. Jake is letting them borrow his truck.” Not surewhat’s wrong with using mine, but that’s another grievance to address later.

Once she’s living next to me, I’ll handle her needs. Wants and desires too. Fuck, the potential of her relying on me for simple pleasures heats my blood.

My nosey friend grunts. “You got that asshole to do your dirty work? Quite impressive.”

“The honor belongs to his wife. He’s wrapped around her diamond-encrusted ring finger.”

“Can’t blame the guy. They’re in newlywed bliss. Love like that is mighty fine.”

“Speaking from experience?” My phone chimes to divert my attention away from whatever nonsense he’s going to spew next.

Callie:Hello, Ridge. It’s me. Again. I noticed you read my text, but you didn’t respond. Does that mean—?

Drake’s hand clamps down on my shoulder before I can gorge myself on more of Callie’s sweetness. “Nah, I haven’t gotten lucky in the romance department. But you’re about to be.”

I shake him off me. “There’d be a better chance if you’d let me concentrate on what’s important.”

“Jeez,” he gripes. “You act like I’m an infected ingrown hair on your ass, but she’s blowing up your—”

“She’s different,” I reiterate.

Drake holds up his palms in surrender and rises to stand. “It’s becoming clear that the gift of my presence isn’t appreciated. I’ll leave you two alone. You’ll be very happy texting each other in companionable solitude.”

At long last, something we can agree on.

“See ya later,” I toss to him in parting.

“If you ever peel your eyes off the screen,” his retreating voice calls.

Before the door slams behind him, I’m backtracking to start at the beginning of her latest message.

Callie:Hello, Ridge. It’s me. Again. I noticed you read my text, but you didn’t respond. Does that mean you’re busy or you didn’t like something I said? This is new to me. Could I be more obvious? I just don’t want to upset you or push too far. That’s not my intention. I’m mostly curious about everything. Uncertain too. There’s much for me to learn. Harper says that I’m beginning to express myself openly from behind a screen, but not so much in person. From where I come from… well, that’s a story for a different day. For now, I hope you’re preoccupied instead of not responding on purpose. Am I too demanding? Or maybe impatient. Gosh, those don’t sound good. Both is probably a safe bet. Are those two traits more appealing than needy? That’s something Harper calls herself when… never mind. That’s too personal. We can discuss that at a later date once we’ve known each other longer. If you still want to talk to me. Let me know if I’m bothering you yet. You can be honest with me. I’dprefer that over the alternative.—Callie

My thumbs are poised and ready when I’ve reached the end. I’ve never cared much for texting, but I’ll sit in this spot for hours if it means this girl keeps giving me her words. She has plenty to share and I’m here for it.

Me:never too busy for you, sweetness. had a slight disruption to deal with. that’s taken care of and I’m all yours

Me:the thought of you needy and demanding and impatient for me is what I’ve been waiting for. I like you just the way you are. trust me. don’t hold back. give me the good and bad. whatever’s running through your mind. I’ll ease your troubles

Me:let’s start with you telling me about your day. no skimping on the details.

The three dots on her side bounce in their bubble almost immediately after my text is sent. I don’t fight the grin that’s forming or hesitate to sink deeper into the couch and prepare for the best night I’ve had in years.

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